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Sunday, March 17, 2013

Why would I want to eat kale?

Before 2012, I may have seen this leafy vegetable, probably even taken a bite of it. I don’t recall. It must not have left an impression.

I read recently where kale was being roasted and eaten as a snack. Kale chips. The crunch of potato chips without the fat and grease? Okay. The minute I tried this crispy, crunchy form of kale, I was hooked!

There are several varieties of kale, each full of nutritional value and gobs of fiber. The only one my local grocery stores stock is curly kale. Curly kale has ruffly leaves and a slightly pungent, peppery flavor.

According to AliveRaw.com, researchers have discovered that kale is rich in calcium, lutein, iron, beta-carotene, and vitamins A, C, and K. One serving of kale provides 192 percent of the recommended daily amount of vitamin A, which acts as a preventative against lung diseases. Kale’s abundance of phytochemicals is what bumps it up to a superfood. Phytochemicals are substances associated with the prevention of cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension. Phytochemicals are believed to help prevent cell damage, prevent cancer cell replication, and decrease cholesterol levels.

To think I was just trying to get more vegetables into my daughter’s tummy. By the way, she can eat an entire bunch of roasted kale in one sitting.

Preheat your oven to 375°F. Rinse the kale and pat it dry thoroughly. Remove and discard the thick ribs and roughly chop or break up the leaves a bit. Pat leaves dry again. In a large bowl, toss with olive oil, garlic, sea salt and pepper. Spread out onto a large rimmed baking sheet. The kale leaves do not need to be in a single layer, they shrink in volume as they bake. Bake for 15-20 minutes, giving them a stir every five minutes or so, until its tender, crisp on the edges and slightly browned.